About us.
Lisa Abbott
Lisa Abbott is a Mum, champion of change, and a professional with over two decades of experience working in diverse roles with marginalised and vulnerable community. Starting as a youth worker in the early 2000s, Lisa quickly developed a love for supporting our most “complex” youth to find their voices and strengths to break their intergenerational cycles of poverty, disadvantage and trauma. Never satisfied with doing things “just because”, Lisa naturally progressed into program development, research and planning, all whilst continuing to walk alongside communities impacted by systems.
Sharing space with disadvantaged young people became a passion and in the mid 2000s Lisa spent her spare time volunteering with Create Foundation, supporting young people from out of home care to connect and experience the joy of life. It is here that Lisa started to understand the true value of meaningful connection, strengths based relationships and the concepts of holding space. It was an experience that has shaped her approach to life, living and parenting.
With experience as a single parent of three children, a working mother, a carer of a loved one with mental ill health and addiction, Lisa understands the impact of creating relationships free from judgment and spaces where people are supported to reflect on the hard questions and re-discover themselves.
Lisa challenges the norm in believing that our personal and work loads do not operate in isolation. Our values move with us, despite our need to adapt to our environment. Determined to stay true to her core beliefs, Lisa adopted a leadership style grounded on collaboration, trust, safety and expansion…with a healthy dose of humour. Combining direct practice, leadership and strategic skills, Lisa learnt how to use a ‘title’ to influence positive change and enable others to achieve their potential.
These skills coupled with her innovative thinking and practice wisdom have formed a solid foundation from where she creates learning environments fostering growth, motivation, possibility and connection.
Lisa believes that change is possible and comes from an understanding of who we are, how we influence the world around us and how the world influences us and where we can step into our power to create the change we want to see…and bring others along for the ride.
Bree Hankinson
Bree is a social change maker, creative entrepreneur and connector to learning through the arts. With a background in creative arts, Bree spent early adulthood travelling the world and connecting with underprivileged communities. With a passion to work with marginalised communities, Bree used her creative arts skills to engage and connect young people with joy.
As a part owner of a creative arts hub in Prahran, Victoria - The Windsor Workshop - several years ago Bree embarked on a life changing journey to find employment with meaning and purpose. For the last three years, Bree has been working with vulnerable girls and young women to support them to tap into their strengths, develop their agency and position themselves as advocates for themselves in their lives. Using creative arts as a medium for connection, Bree brings energy, humour and light into hard conversations turning them into courageous conversations for transformational learning.
Bree has embarked on a learning journey herself over these years, dealing with imposter syndrome, breaking into a space often reserved for “trained professionals”. However Bree has experienced a profound sense of belonging in this space allowing her to work with flow, purpose and high impact.
Bree is a mother, partner, connector and a catalyst for change. Walking the fine line between total anarchy and strategic advocacy, Bree finds a balance where passion, grit and determination sees a more just society, blends with the joy of art as expression to create impact.
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